I'm on the fence too but I'll give it another volume. It feels a bit like Misfit of Demon King Academy without the 50000 spell/place names.

Oh man, that was truly effective torture. Just reading it made me squirm in discomfort and cringe. I would honestly rather have a fingernail removed.

@vilobion Yeah, the dog's PoV was unexpected. Tia being able to (sort of) communicate with it was even more unexpected.

Granny Jiba sort of confirmed what we all suspected - That there is some distant connection between the Red Savages of Morga and the People of the Forest. While a sudden increase in contact between the two groups would be interesting, I honestly don't see it happening for basically one reason: Both groups consider contact with the other to be taboo. It's just not going to happen short of a catastrophic calamity occuring.

As for shipping People of the Forest with townies, I think that's a long shot, mostly because the leading clan heads will object.

And of course, the twins can do whatever they want without any consequences because they are "precious family". Makes me want to drop this series despite the battles being nice to read.

So Nanami is an Hokkaido gyaru who happens to be mega cute.
Glad to see we are getting another volume, looking forward to Valentine's day.

Aoi imparts an important life lesson: most people will be better off if they avoid antagonizing larger than average dragons.

I imagine that the people who recommended the comb knew that it was the kind of gift that'd lead to an ongoing promise to comb her hair. That's what actually makes it a thoughtful gift; whether he intended to have that thought or not, he can't take it back.

Did anyone else appreciate the parody of musicals with Frederika?

I like it. Sure it's not as eventful as other volumes, but I've always enjoyed the slice of life and minor worldbuilding aspects of the series, and I enjoy the sentiments that come with the character interactions.

You could argue that events and discussions on the genius architect and the crime syndicates are laying the foundations for future stuff, but I enjoy it for how it makes the world feel more alive. These things also provide perspective on the strength of the relationship Ryoma has with everyone such as when contrasting the guard's reaction to Ryoma and the solidarity of Ryoma's group at the party.

Additionally, for Eleonora's Regrets, I love how good of a boss and friend Ryoma is and how empathetic of a person he is. A big theme of this story has been about learning to trust others and to let them in. Both Ryoma and Eleonora are slowly doing that. Even the discussion and speculation the adults have had on Ryoma's past are part of people growing closer to Ryoma along with the growing theme of community.

The phrase "the child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth" fits really well with the goals and intended consequences of the Earth god's tribulations on Ryoma. This story shows the healing and the other side of that where the child is embraced by the village or specifically a village after escaping the abuse of his previous one, even if the execution is sometimes unconventional or simplistic.

Also, on the goblins, one of the unfortunate aspects of the story and isekai stories in general has been their use of slavery and the light portrayal of it. While I'm not going to praise this story for being slightly better than most since that's a low bar, I do appreciate how the story discussed in its worldbuilding this world's history of slavery law reform following the rebellion and the future directions and concerns of an industry that deals in human resources.

Anyhow, while the evolutionary history of the goblins might have been unnecessary, it still personally gave me some information that helped me sort my moral feelings for the taming of them and their treatment as monsters societally despite their sentience. For better or worse.

This stories does balance a lot of darker subjects and themes while mixing it with a fluffy and comfortable slice of life tone and fun slime research.

Also, I actually really like how a lot of minor projects gets "crammed" in. In my opinion, especially when related to the use of modern knowledge or inventions, too many isekai protagonists don't do enough especially when they have the resources and magic for it and when the ideas or items are simple.

Also, Korumi as the son or little brother of Ryoma is so cute!

I look forward to the next volume.

I hate may we meet again afterwords. Like, are you writing another fucking book or not?!

I think Seika is underestimating what meeting his mother might be like, he's probably forgotten how having an older sister felt, too.

Bold move to remove the most popular character.

Guessing Stella is the authors favorite from the afterward

Just finished this in a large gulp.

It amuses me that Pia is just one of the gang now :) I wonder if she has to keep the mind control on the king for the rest of his life, or will he be freed now that he's free from being a king.

@Makine said in Miss Blossom’s Backward Beauty Standards: Give Me the Ugly Crown Prince! Vol. 2 Discussion!:

So we’re not gonna resolve the curse, huh.

My head canon is Coco is saint as well: she has a weak ability to break curses. This is the real reason why people around Coco or interacts with her are not charmed by Pia. Coco's innate curse breaker means she is not influenced by the fugly curse, but it is not strong enough to break it in other people.

The moments that empowered the Demon King sure were gruesome

V15 is part of the January line-up for the JP Publisher. Say farewell to Silver Haired for the time being.

I'll miss you

@ryandb you're definitely going to see me, and for the future volumes too.

A pass and review kissing expose amd then a battle royal. What a way to have a wedding.

Woo, another Mia side story to make up for Robin infesting the main story. I really like Mia's development as a character. She's showing a lot of self awareness now and seems to be developing into an actually decent person. I don't think she should be so worried about it being selfish to be interested in Davier, though. She's probably the only one around that he'd be interested in due to their shared history and it seems like he might be developing an attraction to her anyways.

Black-rank adventurer from the Empire - with a dubious history - sneaking around the (disputed) Aflatta Mountains inside Liberia? No wonder Allucia is quiet - premonition? Or looking like a prelude to war ...

I’m not sure I would have picked this up had I known what it was actually about from the beginning (not the sort of thing I usually go for), but I can’t say I’m disappointed I did. I didn’t love the idol character, and I was disappointed that Haruhi kind of disappeared in the epilogue, but overall an interesting writing style, mix of characters, and themes. I think I’ve tried all the contest entries that got published (and have kept up with all but one), and this one feels the most…literary? Like it could fit in in a literature class including contemporary novels, while still also being a light novel that incorporates aspects of visual novels. Well done, especially if this is your first work.

Also, assuming the afterword is indicative of your own experience, my condolences. I lost a brother too (my oldest). He suffered from depression and anxiety from a really young age and ultimately overdosed. My parents did everything they could for him the best they knew how but ultimately couldn’t prevent it. It doesn’t do any good to blame yourself, but that can be easier said than done. Good for you for writing this book as part of your healing process.